Ronaldo Should Learn From Buffon And Del Piero - Melo

Felipe Melo believes that to be considered a great player Cristiano Ronaldo should look at Juventus' stars Gianluigi Buffon and Alessandro del Piero and learn to have some humility.

The Brazilian midfielder was not impressed by the Portuguese forward's behaviour after La Vecchia Signora had beaten Los Merengues in the Peace Cup last month.
Instead of congratulating the Juve players, Ronaldo was clearly unhappy and Melo believes that his inability to show any grace means that he needs to learn.
"He should watch players such Buffon and Del Piero and see how they behave," he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
"After our victory against Real Madrid, Ronaldo behaved like we had won the league."
Melo then reflected on his new team's pre-season preparations and admitted that the 4-1 defeat by Villarreal could be used to work out where any problems with the team are.

"The league had not started when we played Madrid and fortunately nor had it when we lost to Villarreal, which came at the right time."
Looking ahead to the Champions League, Melo cannot see many surprises in store for the latter rounds as he predicted the usual suspects will make it through.
"Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea and Inter will all do well," he added

Source: goal.com

Giovinco faces long lay-off

Sebastian Giovinco will be out of action for three weeks with a thigh strain. “I’ll be sidelined for 20 days, if not more.”

The Juventus starlet pulled up during the ill-fated 4-1 friendly defeat to Villarreal on Friday and tests have shown the damage to be more serious than previously thought.He has a thigh strain in his left leg and is likely to return only after the break for international duty, so could make his comeback against Lazio on September 13.

“It’s a real shame,” added the Atomic Ant. “I could have made the most of this time in the season. Now I’ll be out for a few weeks and will have to resume with a separate training schedule.”

Jean Claude Blanc Pleased With Juventus' New Stadium Developments

Juventus general manager Jean Claude Blanc expressed his satisfaction with the progress made so far in the construction of the club's new stadium, which will replace the former stadium Delle Alpi.
According to Blanc things are looking good as the Delle Alpi was demolished to make way for the early part of the construction of the Bianconeri's new home.
"Visiting the construction site of the stadium I was impressed by the quality of the work, which is proceeding within the time limit," declared the Old Lady's director to Sportmediaset.it.
"The companies are working hard to put us in the condition of playing in the new stadium already from the 2011/12 season. Watching the first phases of the stadium's construction is exciting, and I think that it can comfort all the Juve fans who cannot wait to enter their new home."
Juventus will kick-off this new season by hosting Chievo Verona on Sunday August 23 in their bid to reclaim the Scudetto for the first time following the Calciopoli scandal.

New Fiorentina Arrival Cristiano Zanetti: Juventus Didn't Want Me Anymore

The sale of Juventus midfielder Cristiano Zanetti to Fiorentina raised some eyebrows in the peninsula, and has now produced comments from both sides as the veteran has responded to accusations from sporting director Alessio Secco.

The Bianconeri official had claimed that Zanetti had asked for a new three year contract and a first-team place, but the former Italian international has rebuffed those comments.
"Do not say absurd things, the story should be explained fully. I took note of Juventus' behaviour towards me and looked around," he revealed to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"They never had any intention of renewing my contract.
"This is a matter of respect. I have heard a couple of things from Secco to which I must respond. I have never asked for guarantees of any kind in my life. In the end, the work I put in was always my warranty," he continued.
"I never asked for anything, because he did not ever consider my possible [contract] renewal. [I asked for] Three years? We had never spoken."

The 32-year-old cost the Viola €2 million and is expected to add some extra determination to their midfield after the departure of Brazilian international Felipe Melo this summer, who moved to Juventus no less.
"I am happy, very happy, to be at Fiorentina. To Fiorentina I could not have said no, they know how to treat people. That's enough for me."

Source: goal.com

I Want To Show My Worth To Juventus - Christian Poulsen

Christian Poulsen has endured a turbulent few weeks, with the player as desperate to stay at Juventus as the club were to sell him. The sale of Cristiano Zanetti to Fiorentina has negated the need to sell the Dane, and he could not hide his delight at being given the opportunity to stay in Turin.
"I'm really happy, Juve called me and told me that things had changed after Zanetti went to Fiorentina," Poulsen told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"Now I am part of the first team and they can count on me. It has been a difficult summer, but I wanted to stay at any cost and show my real worth."

Poulsen had many offers from clubs over the summer, with the likes of Fenerbahce, Fulham, Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur in the hunt for his signature, but insisted throughout the close season that he wanted to remain with the Bianconeri.
Now he has got his wish, he may have a chance to prove his worth sooner rather than later due to Mohamed Sissoko's ongoing injury problems. It was not long ago that Poulsen was producing excellent performances for Schalke 04 and Sevilla, and Bianconeri fans will hope that the 29-year-old can replicate his old form after a poor first season.

Cannavaro to set caps record

Fabio Cannavaro is looking forward to setting a new all-time record against Switzerland tonight with his 127th Italy appearance.
During the Confederations Cup, the veteran captain matched Paolo Maldini’s total of 126 caps, but will become the sole new record holder this evening in Basle.

“Reaching such a threshold is very gratifying,” he told Sky Sport Italia. “Am I getting old? Now yes, I really am!”
Cannavaro will be 37 when the World Cup is played in South Africa, but still expects to be at the centre of the Azzurri defence.
“This game will be my 127th, but I do not consider it a special event. It is just a match like any other, one we have to win, play well and take some steps forward, because in a year we want to win the World Cup again.”
Gianluigi Buffon will mark his 96th cap and moves closer to hitting the century, as he is the player still in activity with the most appearances other than Cannavaro.
It has been announced that there will be a minute’s silence ahead of Switzerland-Italy in memory of Espanyol player Dani Jarque.

The Spanish defender died tragically on Saturday of heart failure, aged just 26, after a training session in Italy’s Coverciano training ground.

Source: football-italia.net